Monday, October 19, 2009

Some Possible/Plausible Environment and Ecological Headlines for the next 30 years

February 15, 2011
2010 is Record-Setting Warmest Year Globally
Lingering El Niño pushed sea temperatures higher; Arctic warming persistent and sustained; "new mark recognized by national, international weather and climate agencies"



March 20, 2014
Stephen McIntyre Admits He Made 'Mistakes'
Fostering climate skepticism by statistics misled blog followers on consequences, realities of human-caused warming; actual shape of modern climate change "is a hockey stick", he concedes



April 29, 2017
Bluefin Tuna in Mediterranean "No Longer Economically Viable"
Surviving populations are too scattered and undersized to justify catch effort


September 13, 2021
Last Bit of Arctic Ocean Sea Ice Cap Disintegrates
Ice-free Arctic Ocean in summer was predicted more than a decade ago, "but this is earlier than expected", says expert


August 12, 2022
Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs Now $300 a Bushel
Gourmet item on menu due to scarcity



July 30, 2025
Continental United States Suffers Third Week of Blistering Heat
Major Midwest and Southeast cities see high temperatures topping 100 for 22 consecutive days


February 2, 2028
Lake Chad is Gone
Iconic African lake 'no longer a contiguous aquatic ecosystem', say scientists


May 20, 2032
Coral Reefs Are Relics of A Better Environment -- Only Decades Ago
Coral reef ecosystem collapse is widespread and global; 10% of former reef zones may still be worthy of 'aggressive protection'



May 15, 2035
Polar Bear Population Plummeting to New Lows
King of the Arctic now down to 20% of numbers in first decade of the century; walrus population is also "way down"



December 30, 2039
All U.N. Member States Commit to UN Accord on Climate Change
5% Reduction in CO2 emissions to 2035 levels by 2060 agreed to "in principal"

(Next time maybe I can try to make them funny. But it isn't easy.)

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